1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method of facilitating word of mouth selling via a communications network that enables consumers or groups to identify products and services that they have purchased or desire to purchase and include these products and services in an online profile that becomes visible to viewers.
2. Description of the Related Art
Internet selling has traditionally been done by online retailers selling products directly to purchasing individuals or groups. Amazon.com® is an example of an e-commerce website that specializes in selling a variety of products. U.S. Pat. No. 5,960,411 relates to a method and system for placing a purchase order via a communications network. Other e-commerce sites specialize in selling a particular type of product or service, such as the Apple® store or Dell.com® which both sell different varieties of computers and computer products. More recently, businesses have emerged that offer customers comparison shopping, enabling the customer to browse a variety of e-commerce sites for the best price or customer service when they are looking to purchase. MySimon.com® is an example of this. Google®'s Froogle® service is an example of a search engine that aggregates products from a variety of e-commerce sites and offers them in a single view to the potential customer.
These approaches are very different in their respective business models. In the first case, the online service provides the listing and handles the transaction. In the second case, the online service merely provides information, and may receive referral fees from the e-commerce site that completes the transaction. However, both of these approaches aim to achieve the same goal: to provide a potential buyer with a purchasing path that begins with the buyer's interest in a product or service. Along this purchasing path, the user may encounter product reviews or user feedback, which is, at best, the opinion of a stranger and, at worst, the contrived words of a biased party.
Also, an increasingly popular feature on online communities is the ability for a user to express his/herself using a variety of creative tools. For example, websites exist that allow users to create a virtual character, complete with clothes, accessories, and furniture. These sites are known collectively as avatar sites. A preferred embodiment of this invention would treat a user's previously purchased products and services and desired products and services as a means of self expression, and the web as just another place where we can express our individuality and conduct day-to-day social interaction.
One example of a known system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,175,831, which relates to a networking database containing a plurality of records for different individuals in which individuals are connected to one another in the database by defined relationships. This system, however, does not enable the individuals to provide word of mouth sales referrals by including marketing brands as part of the individual's identity in the database.
Another example of a known system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,369. U.S. Pat. No. 6,269,369, which relates to a network-computer-based personal contact manager system that enables users of networked clients to maintain and update user information that is stored in a relational database. The system allows each user to specify, on an individual basis, which contacts are permitted to access their user information. The system also allows users to find contacts based on common group affiliations and notifies users when there are coincidences in their data.
Additional descriptions of the background of the present invention may be found in the following books: “The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Difference” by Malcolm Gladwell, Back Bay Books (2002); and “Kellogg on Marketing” (Edited by Dawn lacobucci), John Wiley & Sons (2000). Another reference related to the use of advertisements online and related pricing issues is described, for example, in connection with “GOOGLE®” AdWords.
One disadvantage of known systems is that a system of providing word of mouth types of sales referrals is not provided in which brands are marketed as part of the individual's identity.
One disadvantage of known systems is that they do not provide an automated mechanism where consumers or groups can represent themselves to their personal network via the products and services they own or want within a purchasing environment. Traditional e-commerce also suffers from the lack of relevant feedback from trusted sources.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system of word of mouth selling system that identifies brands with online identities and optionally tracks access and sales histories to provide rewards.